Life is like a long road with yellow lines.

David Gordon Green‘s PRINCE AVALANCHE (2013) shows the human side of the impact of wildfires, but not just in a destructive sense. Both have very different personalities and very different outlooks on life, and the older of the two dating the youngest’s sister further adds uniqueness to their situation, but manage to become friends. Although wildfires destroy the land they sweep across, new life emerges from the soil. The interactions and blossoming friendship between these two individuals are much like new growths that spring up from the turbulence.

During the summer of 1988, two men Alvin (Paul Rudd) and Lance (Emile Hirsch) paired together to repaint the road lines on a country highway after the area was devastated by wildfires. With silence surrounding them, they pour out to each other about their romantic relationships and form a bond between two opposite people in an unusual setting.

Alvin and Lance are total opposites. Alvin is a hard-working individual who enjoys immersing himself in quiet and self-reflection. While Lance is the kind of guy who enjoys partying, and hooking up with random women. He may seem to be not very bright, however, this ploy reveals itself to be quite thoughtful act, and filled with wisdom that at times even surprises himself. Alvin is the perfect compliment to his companion’s wilder ways and as the film progresses, watching their strictly work based partnership metamorphosis into a bromance.

The character development is not the only great element of Prince Avalanche. Filmed after a real wildfire in Bastrop, Texas, the genuine atmosphere is captivating and really facilitates the overall story. Beautiful camera shots of the surrounding area and through the remnants of the forest, paired with an easy listening score provided by Explosions in the Sky & David Wingo. This is a film that looks good and feels good.

Prince Avalanche is a demonstration of independent films, when backed by creative and well-written stories, can be just as great–or better–than their big studio counterparts.

Do the Dance is a deleted scene of Lance’s dancing skills that are hinted at through the entire film and it’s a funny short scene. Paul and Emile centers around the two actors and their characters through their eyes and through director Green’s eyes. From the Ashes shows the location where the film was shot: Bastrop State Park in Texas after the 2011 wildfires in the area. Director Green reveals why he chose to make an independent film once again after being involved in bigger budget projects, the amount of time it took to film Prince Avalanche, and how Joyce Payne became involved in the film. Lance LeCault is the name of the actor who portrayed the much older gentleman continued to run into while doing road work. This segment reveals some details about his life, how the cast and crew felt about him, and serves as a nice tribute to his memory. The interview with Paul and Emile goes into the actors reasons for choosing to work in this film, the first song heard in the film, how the director came up with the title of the film and what inspired Green to film in Bastrop. The director interview has Green discussing how he was motivated to remake the Icelandic film called Either Way which became Prince Avalanche. Green also discusses the two main characters and their relationship. The AXS TV featurette are sound bites from the other featurettes put together with some scenes from the film.